Autoharp Page
For a
break from the world of birds (or perhaps to help me feel closer to them),
I
sing and play Autoharp and bowed psaltery.
Not terribly well, mind you, but enthusiastically.
Most people associate the Autoharp, known
generically as a "chorded zither,"
with elementary school music classrooms
or old-time music
(Sarah Carter and her niece, June
Carter Cash, were prominent Autoharpists).
I play mostly rock and "new folk" by artists such as
Warren Zevon,
Richard Thompson,
the Beatles, the Stones, the Dead, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan,
Townes Van Zandt, Creedence, and Cat Stevens.
The bowed psaltery is a far more obscure
instrument, though you sometimes see them for sale
at Renaissance fairs, even
though they're not an authentic instrument of the period.
Its haunting, ethereal sound doesn't lend itself to most rock or folk music
(with the notable exceptions of certain Moody Blues pieces and "Sad Lisa" by Cat
Stevens),
but it makes a fine substitute for a violin (which I gave up at age 13).
For more information on this lovely instrument, visit
Unicorn Strings,
the maker of my psaltery.
If I ever get good enough (and brave enough),
I'll post some sound files
of me playing one or both instruments, accompanied by
my husband Tom Wood
on 6- and 12-string guitar
(not at the same time, of course - he's not an octopus).
In the
meantime, please enjoy the photos of two of my three autoharps
and visit the links below for
more information.
Clink on the photo for a larger version of the image and more information.
| The Autoharp Page |
| The Autoharp WebRing |
|
Cathy Britell a wonderful autoharpist and teacher at whose suggestion I added this page to my site |
|
Buying an
Autoharp advice from Wendy Grossman, who also owns a blue 'harp |
|
Autoharps & accessories at Amazon.com not the source most people think of for Autoharps, but purchases made through this link benefit the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory |
| Listen to Autoharp Radio at Live365.com |
All photos
are protected by international copyright law.
Distribution or
reproduction without the express permission of the owner is prohibited.
Violators are subject to prosecution.